AMD delays driver with broader frame pacing support until January

AMD has pushed back the release of a beta driver meant to bring frame pacing to Eyefinity multi-monitor configs and 4K displays—and to a bunch of other configurations, as well. The driver was originally scheduled for a fall release, but AMD now tells us to expect it next month.

Currently, only the Radeon R7 260X, R9 290, and R9 290X support frame pacing on multiple displays and at 4K resolutions via their XDMA transfer hardware, which other Radeons lack. The new driver will add frame pacing support for 4K and Eyefinity display configs on older Radeons. AMD says it will also expand frame pacing to "all [Graphics Core Next] and earlier products that didn't have it until now."

The current release time frame for the driver is "January." AMD doesn't expect additional delays, but it warns that, "as always," its schedule could change.

AMD's first frame-pacing driver came out this summer. Much like Nvidia's frame metering, frame pacing technology synchronizes frame delivery between multiple GPUs in order to minimize microstuttering and dropped frames. The result is noticeably smoother gameplay and a greater perceived benefit from the addition of an extra GPU. Without frame pacing, a dual-card CrossFire config often doesn't feel much quicker than a single-GPU setup.